Common TA Questions – AY 2018-2019
- WHAT DO I GET PAID?
50% Teaching Assistant: $9,175 (regardless of experience)
40% Lecturer: $7,449 (regardless of experience)
Please note that lecturer tuition remission and health insurance eligibility, coverage, and premium rates for Lecturers are the same as those for TAs. If you have questions about benefits, these can be directed to Vicki Fugate (vfugate@ssc.wisc.edu).
2. HOW MANY STUDENTS WILL I HAVE?
Every course with a lab or discussion has 20 students EXCEPT for Comm-B courses (210 & 220) which have 15. (Classes vary in how many sections per TA, so some may have a total of 100 students while others have a total of 30.)
3. WHEN AND WHERE ARE THESE CLASSES?
http://registrar.wisc.edu/class_search.htm
Click on either general public, or log into My UW.
4. HOW DO I KNOW WHICH SECTION(S) I’M TEACHING?
a. You, your fellow TAs assigned to the course, and the supervising instructor, will work this out together.
b. Once you’ve agreed, contact Ted Babcock, SocUGrad@ssc.wisc.edu, who will enter the information in the current Time Table listings.
c. FYI: TA names are added the first day of classes – if rosters are needed before then, contact the faculty in charge or Ted Babcock.
5. HOW MUCH WORK DO I HAVE TO DO?
a. Working full time would be 1440 hours over 36 WEEKS (9 months)
b. You are paid for 18 weeks of work at a certain percentage.
c. SO, if you’ve a 50% TAship, you are expected to work 360 hours (20 hours a week).
d. Your semester-long appointment begins on August 20, 2018 and ends on January 3, 2019.
6. IS THERE TRAINING I MUST ATTEND?
YES.
a. Letters and Sciences TA Training is required of all first time TAs, though students are encouraged to attend more than once.
b. The Graduate Assistant Equity Workshop is required of all first time TAs (https://oed.wisc.edu/graduate-assistants-equity-workshops/)
c. Comm-B Orientation is required of TAs teaching Soc 210 or 220 for the first time.
d. Sociology New TA & Lecturer Orientation is required for all TAs and Lecturers who have not previously taught in the Sociology Department.
e. Sociology TA Workshop (time TBD, depending on availability), is required of all first time TAs (except those who have already taken Soc 910, Teaching Sociology). Experienced TAs in disciplines or settings substantially different from Sociology at UW-Madison may be required to attend the workshop. Students who have been TAs previously but who have not led discussion sections will also be required to attend the workshop.
7. DO I GET AN OFFICE?
YES! You will have shared office space in Sewell Social Sciences. You will be informed of your assignment via email by the Associate Chair.
8. WHAT IF I’M A NON-NATIVE SPEAKER OF ENGLISH?
If you are a non-native speaker of English, you need to take the SPEAK test. The SPEAK test is the institutional version of the Test of Spoken English (TSE), which is administered by the Educational Testing Service. The SPEAK test measures oral proficiency and is frequently used to evaluate the spoken English of international TAs. This test is available ONLY to students holding or under consideration for a teaching assistantship.
To take the SPEAK test, send your request to Kim Gonzalez (kagonzalez2@wisc.edu), along with the date and your ID number, and we will register you.
Testing Schedule: https://esl.wisc.edu/ita-training/speak/